Observations Divine and Moral, Chapter 29
CAP. XXIX. Of Riches, and Poverty.
IT is the first degree of riches to have what is Seneca.necessarie; the next to have what is enough. And indeed, he is a rich man, who wants no outward means, wherewith to mainteyne himself, and his, plentifully, in that state of life, in which God hath set him, whether high, or low: and he poore, on the contrary, to whom that proportion is wanting. And hence it comes to passe, that there are poore kings, and rich coblers; poore landlords, and rich tenants: as there are warm dayes in winter, and cold in summer; respecting the season of the yeare.
Besides, if a person have the possession, and not the use of riches, and be sick of that disease, which Salomon saw, and experience of all ages confirms to be common among men; namely of a man, to whom God hath given riches, Eccles. 6.wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desyreth: and yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof; I would not call him, but rayther his chests and storchouses rich; seeing, he as well wants that which Ierom.he hath (in regard of its use, and end) as that which he hath not.
A freind of myne in the university was wont to tell me merily, and wittily, that surely there was something in this mony, more, and better, then he, and I saw: seeing such a great wise, and learned man (whom he would name) loved it so well; and such another, as wise and learned as he, as well as he; and so a third, and a fourth. He knew well ynough, it was not any good in it, which we saw not; but lust, and filthy coveteousnes in them, whose learning, and wisdom should have taught them to despise, and ha…e such basemyndednes. And in truth, if in any other thing, basenes of mynde is seen in the love of mony, and so they are justly contemned in the eyes of others, that are enamoured of it. Some do make theyr Phil. 4.belly theyr God; and those are men of an abject spirit: others their riches, (for covetousnes is idolatry) and that in a special work of devotion, by trusting to them, which no manEphes. 5. doth to his belly: yet is the covetous, of the two, the more vile, and servs the baser God: for the life, & belly (for which food is) are better then food; and yet food for the belly is the best part of riches; and that of which alone Adam in innocency stood need. If men were not above measure infatuated with sensuallitie, they, who know inward good things, would not affect outward inordinately. That fools, and idiots, that know no better things, should love mony, is not strange: For oxen love grasse; and swyne draffe; and every creature naturally the best thing which it knows: But that wise, and learned men, and they who know the good things of the minde, specially the good things of God in his word, should so doat upon it, is most vile, and monstrous. Some love mony for it self, and for the bare possession of it, and because they delight to tell their pence: but that is the case of few of learning, or wisdom. But as mouls by digging in the earth rayse up hils: so do they hope to clyme up by this basenes; as being set a work, this way, by ambition, for the most part; which too often breeds in the breasts of men rarely endowed; as the cancker doth in sweet flowers. For such men esteeming themselvs worthy of account in the world for their excellency: and perceaving riches the readyest way to procure it, or make way for it; they lay hold thereof with both hands: and being seduced with the love of mony for that end, do for the getting,1 Tim. 6. and keeping of it, peirce themselvs through with many sorrows.
The blessing of the Lord maketh rich. If wealth comeProv. 10. by inheritance; it is Gods blessing that a man is borne of rich friends, and not of beggars: If by mens free gift; it is his blessing, that hath made them able, and willing to do us good: If goods be gotten by industry, providence, and skill; it is Gods blessing that both gives the faculty, and the use of it, and the successe unto it. And as riches are in themselvs Gods blessings, so are we to desire them of him, and to use lawfull diligence to get them: for the comfortable course of our naturall, and civill state: For though we are to be able to bear poverty, if God send it:Seneca. yet should we rayther desire riches; as a man, though he can go afoot, yet will rayther chuse to ride. Secondly, to free us from such temptations unto sin, as povertie Prov. 30.puts many upon. Thirdly, that they may minister unto us, and ours, more plentifull matter of exerciseing vertue, and Seneca.goodnes, specially of mercy towards the poore, and them in need. God could, if he would, eyther have made mens states more equall, or hauehave given every one sufficient of his own: But he hath rayther chosen to make some rich, Deut. 15.and some poore, that one might stand in need of another, and help another; that so he might try the mercy, and goodnes of them that are able, in supplying the wants of the rest. And the richer sort that make not this account, know not wherefore God hath given them theyr goods; and are as poore in grace, as rich in the world.
Both poverty and riches, if they be in any extreamity,Prov. 30. hauehave their temptations, and those not small: In which regard Agur prayes God to give him neyther of both; but to feed him with food convenient for him. And, in truth, the middle state is freest from the greatest danger eyther of sin, or misery, in the world: as Icarus his father told him, that the middle way was safest for his waxen wings, neyther to be moystned with the water, nor molten with the heat of the sunne. And of the two states, the wise man insinuates in that his prayer to the Lord, that the temptations of riches are the more dangerous. Povertie may drive a man to steale, or deal unjustly with others; and after to lye, or, it may be, and, as the Holy Ghost insinuates, by swearing to take the name of God in vain, to cover it: But if a man be rich, and full, he is in danger to deny God, and to say in pride, and contempt of him in effect, as Pharaoh did, who is the Lord? For hardly doth any thing cause the mynd to swell more with pryde, then riches; both by reason of the ease, and plenty of worldly good things, which they bring with them: as also of the credit, which rich men, or their purses, have in the world; and both those specially, if they have gotten their wealth by their own art, or industrie. He that is proud in a poore estate, would in a rich be intollerable before men, as he is in the meane while abhominable in Gods sight: He that is humble in a prosperous, is a good scholler of Christ, and hath taken out a hard lesson, which the Apostle would hauehave Timothy to charge the rich withall; 1 Tim. 6.which is, that they should not be high minded, nor trust in uncertayn riches From rich mens pride in themselvs ariseth commonly contempt of others, specially of the poore. I have known Nabals, who, in my conscience, have, thought, that all that were not rich, were fools; notwithstanding any eminencie in them of gifts, or graces. But thus to mock, or despise the poore, is to reproach God Prov. 17.that made him so: and besides, if the person be wise, and godly, as he may well be; for any bar that his povertie Ecles. 9.puts against him; it is withall, to despise the image of Gods wisdom, and goodnes in him. But for us; considering how the truly wise, by the spirit of God, pronounceth, that the poore who walketh in his uprightnes, Prov. 28.is better then he that is perverse in his way though rich; as also, that a poore, and wise child is better then Eccles. 4.an old, and foolish king; we should have that strength of fayth against sense, and carnall reason; as, in all resolvednes, to prefer an honest, or wise poore man before a rich Naball. Besides, though still the rich man be, and will be wise in his own eyes; yet the poore that hath Prov. 28.understanding searcheth him out: and by searching oftens findes, that litle witt (being imployed wholy thereabout) and lesse grace, servs to get wealth with. A poore, and playn person seeing a Dives ruffle in silcks, & glitter in gold, and silver, is half readie to worship him, as a petty God, many times: But after findes by his speech, and other caryage, by which a fool▪ and wise man are differenced, that if he had so done, he had but worshipped a golden calf.
God sends poverty upon men to humble them, both in the want of bodily comforts, and specially in regardMartial. of the contempt, which it ever casts upon men in the worlds ey. And blessed indeed are they, who by povertie, and other worldly crosses are humbled so, as toMath. 5. become poore in spirit: not being of those, of whom the complaynt is, that they are humiliati, not humiles. AsCassander if a rich man be humble, he is not of the rich of the world: so, if a poore man be proud, he is not of the Lords poore, and blessed Bernard.ones. Some are of opinion, that none but rich folks can be proud. But the pride of many (as was said of Diegenes) may be seen through their rags. And who ever saw any prouder, then some such worms, as in whom no others could discern any thing outward or inward, (saving the divell) that should make them so? God in his good, and wise providence many tymes sends poverty, and other calamities upon such, to restreyn them; whose overswellings of pride, if they enjoyed a prosperous state, would make them both odious, and troublesome to all societies.
There be some, who out of a kynde of naturall diligence, patience, parsimony, and contentment with mean things, seem so fitted for a poore, and mean state, as that if they were ever pressed with want, they would ever be good, and vertuous; but being rich, and wealthy, are eyther base mynded, or arrogant, in the eyes of all men: There are also, who by their kynde, and courteous disposition seem so fitted for prosperitie, and plentie, that if they ever enjoyed it, they would be no meanly good people; and yet falling into a poore, and needie condition, they appear not onelyonly impatient, but unconscionable also. But the truth is, that howsoever some be fitter for the one estate then the other, and so carry it better to the world; yet he that is not, in his measure, fit for eyther, is indeede fit for neyther. The Apostle had learned, and so must all good Christians with him, both to be full, and to be hungry; Phil. 4.both to abound, and to suffer need. He that is not faithfull in a litle, would not be faythfull in a great deal; and so,Luke 16. for the contrary. He that is impatient, or unhonest in poverty, would be and is wanton, or arrogant, or otherwise faultie, though more closely, in aboundance: neyther Austin.is any broken with an afflicted state, save he, who is too much inveigled with a prosperous. He again, whose course is either to high, or too low, in plentie, would never keep a mean in want.
The over-valuation of riches drives divers men to divers, yea contrarie appearances: some to make themselvs Prov. 13.rich, though they have nothing: and others, to make show of poverty, though they have all aboundance. The former so much esteem of riches, and think them so much esteemed of by others, as that, if they seem not to the world to have them, their life is a death unto them: and therefore they will be sure to make a fayr outside, and appear rich, though they be nothing lesse. The other esteeming themselvs happy in having, and keeping them; conceal, and spare that theyr treasure what they can; least by haveing it known, they should be occasioned, one way, or other, to diminish it. Both are injurious to God, to other men, Cartwr.and to themselvs. To God, in belying him; the former, as if he had given them that which he hath not: the latter, as not haveing given them that which he hath. To others; the former, in getting into their hands the riches, which they cannot satisfy for; or credit, which they deserv not: the latter by with-holding both from God and men their due. To themselvs; the former, in frustrateing the occasion ofIam. 1. humiliation, unto which the Lord by poverty cals them: the latter, by preventing, or quenching the provocations unto thankfulnes to God for his plenty bestowed upon them, besides other comfortable effects thereof.
The Apostle poynts at some Christians (so called) that1 Tim. 6. will be rich, even, whether God will, or no; and say he what he will, and almost do he what he can, to hinder it. They will be rich (if it may be) keeping fayth, and good conscience in outward profession; If that will not be, they will be rich without them; and rayther loose Math. 16.their own souls then not gayn the world. But wo be unto them; for they run greedily after the errour of Balaam; andIude 11. will hauehave God also run with them, otherwise he is not for their company.